Kindred Spirits {Edward Cullen x Male! Oc}

Chapter 03: Catching Up

School had finally ended and all were allowed to go home once again. Bella took her chance to invite Jayden and his brother to dinner at her house. Her main wish was to know more about her intriguing cousins. So, after they had gotten to the parking lot, he hopped into her ancient truck with not even an ounce of hesitation.

During the entire drive, they easily filled the silence with conversations of music. Even when he became somber with remembrance, her subtle encouragement allowed him to continue. In that time, she found out he was a interested in more than one genre. His favorite bands off the top of his head were Led Zeppelin, Fog hat, The Rolling Stones, Blue Oyster Cult, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, and even a bit of the Beatles. Though, his all time favorite was Linkin Park.

Once they arrived at her house, they both got out and went inside to hang out. They set their bags down by the front door and went into the main room. That was when Jayden decided to call his brother. He told of him befriending Bella and that he was at her house. Much to his relief, Blaine agreed to join them after he got off work. The fact he got off around the same time as Charlie seemed like an added bonus.

At the same time, Bella was on the phone with her father as well. She informed him of the cousins' arrival and of their dinner get-together. Charlie was surprised, of course. But he was more than glad to be allowed knowledge about his nephews. His sister had always been difficult, to say the least. When she disowned herself for her husband, he couldn't say he wasn't entirely taken aback. He'd always wanted to know his nephews, but she made it impossible. The presented opportunity would not be squandered. 

When Bella and Jayden were both sitting on the couch, each with a warm mug of tea, they continued their conversation. "So, what's your brother like?" She couldn't help but feel nervous, but in a good way.

Thinking carefully, he then shrugged. "He's pretty chill. He's been in the military. He likes motorcycles over sports cars. He's batshit crazy when it comes to video games. He works as a technician at the mechanics right now; but his dream job is to bartend." Jayden then paused and smiled fondly. "He's my best friend now-a-days, to be honest."

She smiled as well, endeared to the man she hadn't met yet. "He sounds like a good guy. How old is he?" she then wondered aloud.

"He's about to be twenty-eight. Which is how we were able to move here. We both saved up while he got everything in order, then off we went." he explained. For the first time in months, his mind was relaxed and sufficiently distracted. Something he subconsciously felt entirely grateful for. "He's actually the one to get me into music when I was younger."

Bella's eyes widened with intrigue. "What instruments do you play? How good are you?"

He chuckled with amusement, happy with her interest. "I'm okay, I suppose. I know how to play guitar, ukulele, a bit of piano; but for real, I'm not that good."

"I can't wait to hear you play. I always love live music." she mused. An idea then came to mind. "My dad has an old guitar; if you're willing that is."

Jayden only deliberated for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Sure, why not. It's been a good minute since I've played for anyone." he acquiesced easily. 

"Cool!" Bella then jumped to her feet and quickly left to retrieve the awaiting instrument. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he took another sip of his tea. The warmth and subtle mintyness allowed for remembered comfort to wash through him. Only a minute or two had passed before the excited brunette returned with an old guitar in hand. "Here you go. It hasn't been played in a while, but I'm sure it's fine." She then sat down with her full attention on him.

"Nah, it's all good. Just remember, I haven't played for another person in over four months. So, be warned." he advised as he tuned the instrument. Jayden then took a deep breath to steady himself.

When Charlie came home, he found them sitting in the living room together. Bella was holding the guitar as Jayden coached her in playing a simple form of 'Pop Goes the Weasel'. As he walked into the room, they both stood  and approached him. "Hello, Uncle Charlie, sir. I'm Jayden."

In his eyes, Charlie saw his sister. But, unlike her, Jayden had genuine warm kindness and a wisdom not corresponding to a person of his age. "It's nice to finally see you, son. Is your brother coming by soon?" he greeted with a large grin, eager to get to know them.

"Yeah, he's--" Just then, they heard a knock on the front door. "Here."

Bella quickly went to open the door with just as much excitement. "Hey, Blaine! Come on in."

As the older brother walked in, he immediately smiled with wholehearted happiness. "Hey, Uncle Charlie! It's about time we got together." he greeted, then pulled him into a friendly hug.

"I'm going to go get started on dinner. How does lasagna sound?" Bella then said as she slowly walked towards the kitchen. In a way, she was ready to show off her culinary skills and let them get settled in at the same time.

They all nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds great. Mind if I help?" Jayden suggested. He wanted more time with her, but also wanted to give his brother some time to break their Uncle in.

"I don't mind at all." They both then retreated to the next room to begin their task.

~~~Edward's P.o.V.~~~

Edward had been doing all he could to keep a respective distance while he did his absolute best to know more about the mysterious sir that had just moved to town. He felt the relentless urge to know more consume his entire being relentlessly.

On his way to Bella's house for some totally not creepy stalking, he became overwhelmed with the undeniable scent of Jayden Royal. It didn't smell like food, but more like a woodsy freshness. Before him stood a regular home with nobody inside. He didn't even think twice as he ghosted to the back of the residence. Making sure not to disrupt anything on his way in, Edward followed his nose as he looked around the home with curiosity being his constant companion. Such a dangerous companion to have, in all honesty.

Following where Jayden's scent was most, he eventually found the opening to his room. Upon entering the small but cozy area, he immediately felt at home. Then, in a corner beside the bed and hidden away, he discovered a small box with VHS tapes neatly placed within.

Edward kept the box close as his eyes wandered over the limited amount of music CDs on the shelf beside the bed. A soft smile spread across his features as he delved into the human sir's interests. He enjoyed classic rock, rock and roll, and even a few others Jayden had pirated and burned onto other CDs for himself. Many of them would cause appreciativeness to almost anyone.

He then sat down to look through the tapes with great interest. But before he could get one out completely to even look at it, he heard a familiar car engine coming closer to the home. Without having to even think, Edward was out of the house and in the woods just as the two brothers walked into the front door. Though, when he looked down, he found the small box of tapes still in hand.